1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an imaging method and an imaging apparatus.
2. Related Art
In generation of contents on audio and/or video for broadcasting, it has been often done to generate the contents altering motion speed of a subject partially for only a set period, in order to obtain enhanced effects the creator wishes to create.
In such the generation of contents altering the motion speed of the subject, a higher frame rate relevant to a reference frame rate is illustratively set to generate the contents, and then the contents are reproduced at the reference frame rate so that slow motion contents can be produced. Alternatively, a lower frame rate relevant to a reference frame rate is set to generate the contents, and then the contents are reproduced at the reference frame rate so that quick motion contents can be produced. Further, adapting the frame rate to be set and the frame rate at the reproduction allows the motion speed of the subject to be freely altered.
Thus, the creator creates the contents for broadcasting using not only the contents generated at the reference frame rate but also the contents of altered motion speed of the subject, in order to obtain the enhanced effects the creator wishes to create when the contents are reproduced at the reference frame rate.
It has been proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-177930 that the video camera allows time axis to be compressed or extended in order to generate the contents of altered motion speed of the subject by altering the frame rate as described above.
When the contents for broadcasting are generated using not only the contents generated at the reference frame rate but also the contents of altered motion speed of the subject as material, it is not easily determined at editing which of frame rates each of the contents has been generated if merely the material image is displayed. Further, when it performs the speed change on the contents of altered motion speed of the subject, it is impossible to determine whether or not the speed change can be performed without any deterioration in image quality of the displayed image. If a frame rate is set (hereinafter, referred to as, “set frame rate”) to 10 times the reference frame rate, the reproduced contents are displayed one-tenth in a motion of subject if the contents generated at the set frame rate are reproduced at the reference frame rate. Here, it is conceivable that since the set frame rate is 10 times the reference frame rate when the creator wants to display the contents one-fifth in a motion of subject, the speed change can be easily performed without any deterioration in image quality of the displayed image if performing a frame-skipping for each frame. It, however, is impossible to determine whether or not the speed change can be performed without any deterioration in image quality of the displayed image, easily based on merely the displayed image.
It is an object of the present invention to present an imaging method and an imaging apparatus wherein determining which of frame rates the imaging has been performed is easily allowed.